194 
Alkaloids  of  the  Areca  Nut. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1      April,  1889. 
small  animals  of  five  to  six  kilograms  body-weight,  although  strongly 
poisoned  by  the  subcutaneous  injection  of  50  to  75  milligrams  were 
not  always  killed. 
The  symptoms  of  poisoning  which  were  observed  corresponded  in 
many  respects  with  those  seen  by  Schmiedeberg  in  his  investigation  of 
muscarine,  and  further,  when  lethal  doses  were  not  used,  they  could 
be  neutralized  by  means  of  atropine  sulphate ;  eventually  however 
they  presented  characteristic  differences.  The  most  dangerous  action 
of  arecoline  consists  in  the  slowing  of  the  heart's  action  by  small 
doses,  or  even  its  stoppage,  just  as  takes  place  with  muscarine ;  but 
the  latter  works  in  smaller  doses,  and  it  is  only  after  somewhat  larger 
doses  of  arecoline  that  the  ventricle  of  the  frog  stops  in  diastole  or  is 
so  influenced  that  the  ventricle  is  not  emptied  and  only  after  long 
intervals  makes  a  weak  undulatory  muscular  contraction,  Subsequent 
injection  of  atropine  removes  this  action  upon  the  heart.  Simultan- 
eously with  the  heart's  action  the  respiration  is  also  affected.  Small 
doses  cause  a  considerable  increase  in  the  number  of  inspirations ; 
larger  doses  cause  a  slower  action  with  intensified  expiration  ;  and 
very  large  doses  rapidly  stop  the  breathing,  especially  in  cats.  After 
intravenous  injection  of  a  lethal  dose  the  respiration  usually  ceases 
before  the  action  of  the  heart. 
The  subcutaneous  injection  of  50  to  70  milligrams  of  arecoline  salt 
into  dogs  of  four  to  five  kilograms  body-weight,  besides  strong  irrita- 
tion of  the  heart,  gives  rise  to  tetanic  cramps,  which  quickly  give 
place  to  a  partial  paralysis.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  animals  over- 
come the  effects  of  such  doses,  the  heart  resuming  its  action  com- 
pletely as  the  effects  pass  off,  but  it  becomes  again  affected  through 
vomiting  and  liquid  evacuations  in  which  sometimes  also  worms  are 
brought  away.  An  increased  peristaltic  action  of  the  bowels  is, 
however,  provoked  in  rabbits,  dogs  and  cats,  by  much  smaller 
doses. 
Intense  poisoning  of  dogs,  rabbits  and  cats  with  arecoline  may  also 
be  accompanied  with  so  strong  a  contraction  of  the  pupils  of  both 
eyes,  that  in  dogs  and  rabbits  they  do  not  show  larger  than  the  head 
of  a  good-sized  pin,  whilst  in  cats  they  are  reduced  to  a  mere  streak. 
Instillation  of  arecoline  solution  in  an  eye  gives  rise  also  to  a  strong 
one-sided  narrowing  of  the  pupil,  but  the  quantity  required  is  so 
large  that  the  production  of  myosis  in  one  eye  may  induce  a  flow  of 
saliva  in  rabbits,  and  affect  the  heart  and  respiration  in  cats.  For 
